Headphone Amplifier??

Toolfan66
Toolfan66 Posts: 17,234
in Headphones
What are you guys using, and or suggest? I am looking for one to connect to my PreAmp..
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  • mrbiron
    mrbiron Posts: 5,711
    Bottlehead Crack

    +Speedball Kit

    Easy kit to build even for someone like you that has no DIY skills....... :p:p
    I think there are a number of us here that have the same amp so you may get a lot of the same response.
    Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!!
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    edited December 2017
    If you like solid state, look into the Schiit Asgard 2. Sounds good to my ears.

    Asgard-2-board-1920.jpg
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  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,281
    edited December 2017
    Larry,

    Send assimilated (Danny a PM)...he's a head-fi hog

    May even be able to go visit him and see what ya can test at his place since he's relatively near you.
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    Also I've liked the ifi headphone amps I've run in the past. Otherwise the Crack is really good.... or I've heard good things about the Torpedo tube amp thats a kit
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    Also I've liked the ifi headphone amps I've run in the past. Otherwise the Crack is really good.... or I've heard good things about the Torpedo tube amp thats a kit
    TorpedoIII-01.jpg
    TorpedoIII-kit7.jpg
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    Also I've liked the ifi headphone amps I've run in the past. Otherwise the Crack is really good.... or I've heard good things about the Torpedo tube amp thats a kit
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • ALL212
    ALL212 Posts: 1,577
    Crack is good. Crack is very good. Crack is fun. Crack should be what you chose.

    I'm not trying to bias you in anyway at all (Crack Crack Crack). So think (Crack) carefully before making any (Crack) decisions.

    Hope this helps and any (Crack) bias that you may infer from this post is completely (Crack) mis(Crack)leading and not in(Crack)tentional at all.
    Aaron
    Enabler Extraordinaire
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,437
    echo in here today daaanaanaan
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  • ALL212
    ALL212 Posts: 1,577
    In 1/2 seriousness...'acause I don't go serious.

    What headphones are you planning on using? The Crack does high impedance only. The torpedo probably does both high and low impedance as it is a transformer based output. But I can't find any specs on it either.






    Crack
    Aaron
    Enabler Extraordinaire
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  • MrBuhl
    MrBuhl Posts: 2,419
    I'm partial to my Schiit Valhalla - tubeyliscious.
    VA HT HK AVR20II, Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD, Polk Audio RC80i / Polk Audio CSi3, 60" Panasonic Plasma, Nordost / Signal Cable A2 / Wireworld / Pangea / Magic Power
    VA 2 Channel Focal Electra 926 speakers, Pass Labs X150.5 Amp, Eastern Electric MiniMax Preamp (Tutay mods), Eastern Electric Minimax CDP (Scott Nixon mods), Music Hall mmf 5.1 Turntable, Parks Audio Budgie Phono Pre , Audioengine B1 streamer, MIT S3 IC's / MIT Shotgun S3 Speaker Cables / PS Audio power cables
    Noggin Schiit Valhalla, Pangea, Phillips Fidelio X1, Polk UF8000

    Polk SDA1c modded
    Polk CRS+ 4.1TL modded (need veneer)
    Polk SDA2BTL (fully modded)
    A/L 1000VA Dreadnought Canare 4s11 SDA cable
    SACD Marantz DV8300
    Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD
    Yamaha YP-D6
    Soundcraftsmen PCR800
    Audible Illusions L1 Preamp
    Vincent MFA based Cocci Tube Preamp
    Pho-700 Phono Pre
    Signal Cable Silver Resolution IC's






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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    ALL212 wrote: »
    In 1/2 seriousness...'acause I don't go serious.

    What headphones are you planning on using? The Crack does high impedance only. The torpedo probably does both high and low impedance as it is a transformer based output. But I can't find any specs on it either.

    This help any with the specs?
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,648
    For Chinese made, the LittleDot amps are pretty solid.

    I have this one with some GE JAN 5654W tubes in it that I use with my Austrian built AKGs and my Senns.
    https://www.amazon.com/Little-Dot-6JI-standard-Headphone/dp/B00A2QM5O6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1513193948&sr=8-3&keywords=LittleDot

    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
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  • ALL212
    ALL212 Posts: 1,577
    EndersShadow wrote: »
    ALL212 wrote: »
    In 1/2 seriousness...'acause I don't go serious.

    What headphones are you planning on using? The Crack does high impedance only. The torpedo probably does both high and low impedance as it is a transformer based output. But I can't find any specs on it either.

    This help any with the specs?

    yep - looks like you can hook anything up to it.

    Got a budget for this thing? I'd go with the Bottlehead Mainline if you've got the coin but it don't come cheap!

    Aaron
    Enabler Extraordinaire
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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,056
    I confused as to who makes what. Doesn't Schiit come from Crack?
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  • mrbiron
    mrbiron Posts: 5,711
    Viking64 wrote: »
    I confused as to who makes what. Doesn't Schiit come from Crack?

    My Crack has Schiit.
    Not the other way around. That would be a waste of perfectly good substance...
    Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!!
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  • ALL212
    ALL212 Posts: 1,577
    ej3vx0wviraf.jpg
    Aaron
    Enabler Extraordinaire
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  • mrbiron
    mrbiron Posts: 5,711
    up4f4biyp7hw.jpg
    Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!!
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,234
    Thanks Guys, this gives me something to look, and think about..
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,791
    If you're feeling a notch more ambitious than the Bottlehead/kit route (and, mind you, there's nothing wrong with Bottlehead stuff at all) -- Pete Millett (who used to, and maybe still does, design/build headphone amps for a living) has made tonnes of interesting, clever and (based on my limited experience) good-sounding hifi DIY designs available to the great unwashed DIY community.

    Now, in disclosure, I've built identically one of his designs :# (but I've built two of 'em), but I like it and I really appreciate the huge on-line resource of vacuum tube reference literature he's single-handedly* put on-line! He and Nelson Pass are DIY hifi's best buddies!

    http://www.pmillett.com
    (scroll down the page for his headphone amp designs)

    http://www.tubebooks.org/

    ______________________
    * Well, it looks like he gets, or got, some assistance from his faithful feline...

    lggu6nyndrg2.png

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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    edited December 2017
    I used mine last night for several hours. During the first 30 minutes, it sounded so bad. Jumbled soundstage, strangely accented midrange, anemic bass, etc.

    After it fully got up to temp like after a good hour, it sounded much better. Sound smoothed out and detail improved dramatically. At the 3 hour mark it was sounding so good that I didn't want to turn it off, but it was midnight and I had to get to sleep for work in the morning.

    But yeah, it does run super hot! If you try to put your fingers on the lower right hand side where the mosfets are mounted against the enclosure, you can't leave your fingers there for long! I put some larger feet on mine that seems to help with the heat dissipation.

    nbrowser wrote: »
    Got one of those too, love it! Although...mine is in a fancy enclosure to help dissipate the heat the darn thing makes!

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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    What does the enclosure you made for it look like?
    nbrowser wrote: »

    It is pure class A and Schiit makes sure to tell one in the product pages that this thing will run hot...they don't hide it.

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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    Clipdat wrote: »
    What does the enclosure you made for it look like?
    nbrowser wrote: »

    It is pure class A and Schiit makes sure to tell one in the product pages that this thing will run hot...they don't hide it.

    I think he just is kidding and has his in the factory enclosure...

    Asgard-2-sig-1920.jpg

    Or maybe he's not kidding and its more like this
    546669-tiny-pc-case-giant-heatsink.jpg?thumb=y&width=810&height=456

    Or this
    thermalright1.jpg
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • mrbiron
    mrbiron Posts: 5,711
    Clipdat wrote: »
    What does the enclosure you made for it look like?
    nbrowser wrote: »

    It is pure class A and Schiit makes sure to tell one in the product pages that this thing will run hot...they don't hide it.

    It's probably sitting on top of butter tarts while an aftermarket water cooler pumps milk from a bag.
    Canadians are weird...
    :D
    Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!!
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    mrbiron wrote: »
    Clipdat wrote: »
    What does the enclosure you made for it look like?
    nbrowser wrote: »

    It is pure class A and Schiit makes sure to tell one in the product pages that this thing will run hot...they don't hide it.

    It's probably sitting on top of butter tarts while an aftermarket water cooler pumps milk from a bag.
    Canadians are weird...
    :D

    Or he sits it outside on the snow and runs a REALLY long headphone cable through his wall to listen
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    nbrowser wrote: »
    emphasis on SMALL!

    tenor.gif?itemid=4822396


    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • miner
    miner Posts: 1,305
    I have ordered a pair of the Audeze LCD-3. Will I be able to use these with my McIntosh C2300 preamp or my Rega Brio integrated map - both have jacks built-in? Will a separate headphone amp be required?
    [
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  • ALL212
    ALL212 Posts: 1,577
    This works but isn't quite done yet. EL84's with headphone and speakers:

    ssxvwn6yk6j8.jpg
    Aaron
    Enabler Extraordinaire
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    ALL212 wrote: »
    This works but isn't quite done yet. EL84's with headphone and speakers:

    ssxvwn6yk6j8.jpg

    What design is that? I've been debating get a tubed diy amp of some sort....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,791
    It looks finished to me.

    :)
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  • ALL212
    ALL212 Posts: 1,577
    EndersShadow wrote: »
    ALL212 wrote: »
    This works but isn't quite done yet. EL84's with headphone and speakers:

    What design is that? I've been debating get a tubed diy amp of some sort....

    DavidYee Audio - this board and another was gifted to me by one of the Chicago facebook group guys. I've got another... it's already populated. I also have another pretty blue transformer and a 2nd 6.3v filament transformer. All you need to do is wire it up and put output transformers against it. The problem is there is basically no support for DavidYee products. You get it to work or toss it.

    Find Pete Millet's website - Edcor sells a "kit" of transformers for the Mighty Midget.

    http://www.edcorusa.com/pm-102
    Aaron
    Enabler Extraordinaire
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